One Integrated System, Many More Home Care Referrals

More than 13% of Medicare beneficiaries who are admitted to a hospital are discharged to home health services, making those services important partners in supporting patient recovery. Cheyenne Regional Medical Center increased referrals to their home care services by 53% within three months after implementing Epic’s home care application and using in-system messages to remind clinicians to refer patients to home care.

Cheyenne Regional implemented Epic’s home care application with the goal of improving communication between clinicians and Cheyenne Regional’s home care services, ensuring that patients are supported after discharge.

“The clinicians don’t have to fax medication orders back and forth,” said Barbara Malatesta, Cheyenne Regional’s home care and hospice senior analyst. “They can review orders right in their In Basket.”

With Epic integration, it’s easier for clinicians to notify home care services of a referral and for home care facilities to update patient charts with the latest information. Clinicians who are not at Cheyenne Regional but connect through EpicCare Link, a web-based portal, can access Epic charts for home care patients and document key information.

Epic community members can read more about Cheyenne Regional’s workflow in the related Financial Program on the UserWeb.